Harmony
by OtterLittleM
Summary: Horatio Caine meets his 17 year old, Harmony, for the first time in her life. Harmony grew up with her single mother and knew nothing of her father.
1. Chapter 1

Harmony was sitting on the train on the way down to Miami. She had been living in Georgia, near Savannah. She was 17 and had lived her entire life near Savannah with her single mother, Melanie. However, her mother was going to be fuming with anger when she found the note. That wouldn't be until tomorrow afternoon sometime. Melanie was at a conference in New Mexico for her job. She worked for a law firm in Savannah. Her mother had originally worked in New York City as a defense attorney. The only thing her mother had told her about her father was that they had met in New York. Her mother then moved to Savannah and about 5 years later, she had traveled to Miami to help with a case. There, she had met up with Horatio who was working on the same case and they had a one-night stand. She had never told him and that they were better off without him. Other than that, Harmony knew nothing of her father. Until two weeks ago.

Harmony stared out the window of the train, silently hoping her father would like her. His name was Horatio Caine. Harmony had found several letters in a trunk when she was digging for old pictures. It had been for her graduation. The first one was addressed to her mother. The next 6 we addressed to her. She read all of them, including the one for her mother. The ones for her told her all about him and his work. He asked her about her and her life.

She then tracked down where he worked, which wasn't hard considering he was a detective.

She had bought herself a train ticket, packed a duffle bag and her backpack, and made her way to Miami. She left her mother the note.

The train then stopped at the train station in Miami. She grabbed her duffle bag and backpack and got off the train. She stood, staring at the signs and all the people surrounding her. They were all in a hurry, going wherever they needed to go. Harmony didn't know what to do. She had the address of her father's work in her hand. An employee came up to her and asked, "Do you need help, miss?"

Harmony nodded. The female employee smiled and replied kindly, "How may I help you?" Harmony then replied confidently, "I need a taxi." Soon after that, she was in a taxi going to where her father worked.

The taxi stopped outside the building and Harmony got out.


	2. Chapter 2

Harmony paid the taxi driver, grabbed her duffle bag, and got out of the car. She stared at the building of the Miami-Dade crime lab and took a deep breath. All she had to do was go in, ask for Horatio Caine, and talk to him. But for some reason, she was nervous. Her heart was pounding. She stood outside the front door for ten minutes before she found the courage to go into the building.

She walked in and went to the desk. The woman looked up, smiled, and said, "How may I help you?"

Harmony said to the woman, "Can you please tell me where to find Horatio Caine?"

The woman told her where to find him and Harmony hurried off.

Harmony got to where she would find Horatio Caine. She could see him interviewing a man in the interrogation room. She stood outside the room and watched for about 10 minutes.

Horatio looked up and saw her standing outside the room. He then said something to the man inside the room and walked out.

Horatio stopped in front of Harmony. He put his hands inside his pockets, looked down at the floor, and then looked up at her. He then said to her in a questioning voice, "Harmony?"

Harmony nodded.

Horatio sighed and said, "Your grandmother called. She had stopped by your mother's house and told me that you were coming. Your grandmother had called your mother and told her where you were. Apparently, your mother said she didn't want you to come home. Why?"

Harmony started fidgeting and then said, "Because. I left her a note telling her where I was going. Said that I wanted to meet you. I told her that I was upset that I had never met you and I wanted to meet you. I want to get to know you and I wanted to see if you wanted to get to know me."

Horatio sighed and nodded. "Of course I want to get to know you. But you should have gotten permission from your mother."

Harmony nodded. "I know but she would have said no and I didn't want to wait any longer."

Horatio nodded. "I have to go talk to my suprivisor. I'm going to see if I can go on a Leave of Absence for a few months. Wait here."

Harmony nodded.

Half an hour later, Horatio returned.

Horatio looked at her and said, "I will be on a leave for the next month. I talked to your mother as well and she said it would be fine if you stayed with me until you are 18, if you wish. However, you must follow all of my rules. Are we clear?"

Harmony nodded, "Yes. Crystal clear."

Horatio nodded and said, "Alright, let's go to my apartment."

Harmony nodded.

When they got to Horatio's car, Harmony's mouth nearly dropped in amazement.

"You own a Humvee?" Horatio replied, "Yes, I do."

Horatio then took Harmony's bag from her and put in the back seat.

Harmonies then got in the front passenger seat and Horatio got in to drive. The ride took about half an hour and was in complete silence.

They pulled into a house on the outskirts of Miami. They both got out and Harmony looked around in amazement.

The house was a yellow color. It was a decent sized house. Harmony was shocked to see white shutters on the windows. There was a garage and Harmony was confused why they didn't pull into it. Harmony, stayed silent.

Horatio grabbed her duffle bag and said, "Shall we go in?"

Harmony looked at him and said, "Yes."

They started walking in and Horatio said, "I'll show you where your room is and then give you a tour of the house. Then we'll go over the basic rules. While you are living here and under the age of 18, you will live by my rules."

"I understand"

"Good, follow me. I'll show you your room and around the house. I'm sure you'll love it here."

Harmony smiled and followed Horatio upstairs.


	3. Chapter 3

Horatio showed her to the guest room and put her bag down. Harmony looked around the room. Very simple, similar to what she had seen in the rest of the house. The carpet was a tan color. The room was painted a cream white. There was one rectangle window with brown colored curtains on either side. There was a queen-sized bed under the window, which was right across from the door. The sheets were the color of pine trees. There were three pillows with pillow covers on them and they were a similar color to the sheets. The pillows were slightly darker. There was a quilt that looked as if it was hand stitched. It was made out of many different, seemingly leftover fabrics. "Are you hungry?" Horatio said this as he took off his sunglasses. Harmony nodded. "Alright, let's go. I think I have some pizza in the freezer."

"What kind of pizza?" Horatio smiled and replied, "Cheese."

Harmony smiled and said, "Excellent. My favorite kind of pizza." Horatio chuckled and walked downstairs, with Harmony close behind. When they reached the kitchen, Harmony sat down at the island in the middle of the kitchen and Horatio set down his sunglasses. The kitchen was fairly large but simple. The island was made of gray colored granite. The refrigerator, oven, and microwave were all stainless steel. As Horatio opened the freezer, Harmony noted that there wasn't much food. There was a lot of frozen pizza and ice cream. Horatio got the pizza ready and put in the oven. Horatio leaned against the counter across from the island and folded his arms. He looked down for about 30 seconds and then looked up.

"Why didn't you ask your mother permission to come here?"

Harmony avoided his eyes for a few moments, unsure of how to answer. Harmony then looked at him and said, "I didn't think she'd let me come. She didn't want me to know who you are. I found your name on my birth certificate and a few letters you sent to us. Whenever I asked questions about who you were, she wouldn't answer me. I eventually learned not to ask. I was fed up without knowing anything. So, I went digging through my mom's old letters. I looked at my birth certificate to find your name. You weren't hard to find."

Horatio smiled and said, "Your mother was always stubborn. When she made a decision, she stuck with it. I see you're the same way." Horatio chuckled and his smiled grew wider at some unknown memory.

Horatio then said, "Your mother called me. She told me you could stay here and that she was going to sign over her parental rights to me. She said she was sick of your stunts."

Harmony nodded and said, "I ran away a lot when I was younger. I caused a lot of trouble when I was in school. I cleaned up a few years ago; I decided that I wanted to be able to go to college. I want to school for creative writing." Horatio smiled and nodded, "A few things, if you're going to stay here, you have to follow my rules. You will tell me where you're going, when you're going to be home and when you're leaving the house. You will call me or text me this information and when you're going to be late. No parties. Clean up after yourself."

Harmony nodded and said, "agreed." A timer went off and Horatio said, "Pizza's ready." He put on an oven mitten and took the pizza out. He placed it on top of the stove to cool. He then looked at Harmony and said, "How many pieces do you want?"

Harmony responded, "Three." Horatio nodded and dished up pizza for both of them. They ate in silence and cleaned up together. Horatio then walked to the living room and sat down on a leather armchair that was worn from use. He turned on the television and said, "Any preference to what's on?" Harmony shook her head and said, "I think I'm going to go on my computer and send a couple emails." Horatio nodded and Harmony went up to her room.

Harmony looked around. She noted a desk in the corner that looked like it was brand new and like Horatio had never used it. Harmony opened the drawers, 4 in total, and found them all empty.

Harmony opened her duffle bag and found her computer in between all of her clothes. She placed it on the desk. She then unpacked her clothes, putting them in dresser that was near the door. The dresser looked like it was maple. She hung up a few clothes in the closet. She owned one dress, two skirts, and two nice shirts. She put her duffle bag on the shelf at the top of the closet. It was a small closet but it would do. She had a few books with her. She had brought the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. She wished she had her Harry Potter books with but she didn't own them. She had checked them out from the library and read them all as they came out. Harmony sat down at the desk. The chair was a leather chair and was quite comfortable, although it was a big for Harmony. Harmony was about five feet tall, so almost everything seemed big for her. Harmony pushed the chair close to the desk and opened her computer. It took 30 seconds for it to turn on and she logged in. She kept her password secret from her mother, so that she didn't find out what Harmony was planning.

Harmony sighed and connected to the internet. Horatio had left the password for her on the desk. She opened up Google and got on her email. There was an email from her mother and it was quite lengthy.

It was telling her how irresponsible she was and how she shouldn't have left without permission. It also went into lengthy detail about how much worry she had caused her grandmother. It told her to not bother coming home and that she was staying with Horatio until she turned 18. Harmony sighed and decided not reply to the email. It would just make things worse between them. She shut her computer and decided to go downstairs to spend time with Horatio. She wanted to see where it would take her.


	4. Chapter 4

Harmony went downstairs and found Horatio still sitting in the living room watching the news. He was sitting in a black leather armchair. There was report about some murder that had happened in Miami. Horatio was watching it with a stony face as if it he was trying to hide how much it bothered him. Harmony stood in the doorway watching him. Horatio looked over at her and said, "Sit down." Harmony sat down on the worn black leather couch. It had clearly been through a lot. It looked like a cat or a dog had scratched it. Harmony stared at the screen as Horatio watched her. Horatio sighed and then said, "I took a sabbatical from work. It will be 2 and half months. I thought we could use it to get to know each other, figure out school."

Harmony nodded. Horatio could see sadness in her eyes. Harmony shifted uncomfortably. She had wanted to be here but now that she was, she had no idea what to do. A million thoughts rushed through her head. What should she say? What questions could she ask? What do you say to the man who created you but had nothing with raising you? Horatio gave her a small smile and said, "So, you're 17?" Harmony nodded. "When's your birthday?"

Harmony gave a small smile, "July 15." "So, you just turned 17?" Harmony nodded and said, "You didn't have to take a sabbatical for me. It wasn't necessary, really."

Horatio smiled and said, "Yes. It was necessary." Guilt started to shoot through Harmony. She had just wanted to get to know him. She wanted to know her father.

"Don't worry." Horatio then stood up, walked over to the couch, and sat next to her. He put his arm around her and Harmony leaned against him. He then gave her a tight squeeze and said, "I'll still get paid. You don't have to worry about that."

He then kissed her on the head. Harmony let a few tears slide down her face.


	5. Chapter 5

They sat like this for a few minutes and then Horatio whispered, "So, let's start at the beginning, shoul we?" Harmony nodded.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Purple."

"What's your favorite food?"  
"Chocolate, preferably dark chocolate."

This went on for an hour. Horatio and Harmony went back and forth. They covered a lot of topics, from favorite movies and television shows to religious views. Horatio said he was atheist; Harmony said she was undecided. Harmony then asked, "Why are you atheist?" Horatio sighed and said, "That's complicated. I have seen many things in my life. Many of those events have been horrible events. Domestic abuse, child molestation. I can't believe in a God that would allow something like that. I looked into many religions and nothing fit what I believe is morally right. I believe in being a good person, doing what is right no matter the costs to you." Harmony nodded, taking in Horatio's words. Harmony then whispered, "Sometimes, I think that too. Then I see some miracle happen. Someone survives a horrible crash. Someone is cured of terminal cancer. I found you. I just, I can't decide." Horatio smiled and nodded. "I'm glad to see you can think for yourself. You have no idea how proud that makes me."

A grin crept across her face. Those were words she had been wanting to hear her entire life, I'm proud of you. To hear them from her biological father made hearing the words all the sweeter. Harmony had grown up hearing her mother say how she could do better. "You did very well, but you can do better." That's what her mother would say to her and then Harmony's mother would list off all of the things that needed to change. There were no simple words of praise from her mother in Harmony's childhood. Yet, these simple praises seemed to come easily from Horatio's mouth. He seemed too quick to punish when needed but just as quick to ask questions to understand reasoning. Harmony bit her lip, debating if she would ask the question that troubled her heart the most. She wanted to ask if Horatio ever forgot about her. Harmony wanted to know why Horatio stopped visiting, she wanted to know why he stopped visiting her. Horatio made her decision for her. Horatio could read Harmony's body language like an open book. Horatio gave her a small smile and said, "What do you want to ask me?"

Harmony fidgeted nervously. She didn't know how to ask him the question that tortured her. "Why did you stop trying to contact me?"

Horatio sighed; it was his turn to find the right words to answer. After a few long moments, Horatio answered. "I stopped trying to contact you because your mother didn't want me in your life. She didn't think it would be good for you to have parents living that far apart from each other. Things didn't end well between us. She wanted to find a way to hurt me and the best way to do that was to cut off all contact to you. She threatened to go to court; I decided that would be too traumatic for you. So, I backed away and I let her raise you the way she saw fit. There wasn't a day that went by when I didn't think of you. I wondered how you were doing, what you were doing with your life. I wanted to watch your life unfold."

Harmony nodded. It felt like there was a knife stabbing her heart. A million feelings and thoughts seemed to be flying through her. She couldn't sort them out. She felt guilt for leaving her mother, for causing her pain. She felt guilty for the sadness Horatio felt for all the years he spent out of her life. Harmony felt confusion about why her mother would use her like a pawn in chess. She also felt a enormous sorrow settle on her heart. If she hadn't been born, Horatio and her mother wouldn't be in pain. Horatio wouldn't feel a need to take a sabbatical or to spend time getting to know her better. Horatio lifted her face to make her look at him. Horatio has a loving look in his eyes. He said, "You don't need to feel guilt about what happened between your mother and I. We both love you with all of our hearts. We both want what is best for you. I admit, we probably didn't make the best decisions but at the time, we thought we were." Harmony nodded refusing to speak. She knew that if she spoke a word, her voice would crack and she would begin to sob. Strong people never cried, at least, that's what her mother had always told her.


	6. Chapter 6

Horatio pulled walked over to her and pulled her into a tight hug. He whispered, "I love you. At one point, I loved your mother at one point too. Nothing will ever stop me from loving me. It is not your fault, what happened between your mother and I, that was never your fault. It never will be." Harmony nodded and found the tears were streaming down her face even though she fought to keep them in.

Horatio then started walking into the living room with Harmony. Horatio then opened a trunk in the corner of the room and pulled out a few photo albums. Harmony and Horatio then sat on the couch.

Horatio started to show Harmony photo albums that he had. Many of the photos were of Harmony and Horatio. These were Harmony's favorites; they were Horatio's as well although he never spoke the words aloud. Horatio told Harmony about the time he took her to the petting zoo. Horatio laughed at the memory, the laugh lines deepening on his face with his smile, and said to Harmony, "I took you to that zoo against your mother's will. She thought the animals were to dirty and would get you sick. I disagreed; you had been begging me to take you the entire two weeks I had been there. So, I decided that the last day I could see you. I practically had to drag you out screaming when the zoo was closing. You loved the goats for some reason. You loved them eating out of your hands. It made you giggle ecstatically."

Horatio pointed to a picture on the next page. "There is you and I with the goat." Harmony smiled at the picture. It was a little two-year-old version of Harmony, giggling as the goat ate out of her hand. Horatio was kneeling on the ground next to her with his arm around her waist. Horatio was looking at her, smiling. Meanwhile, Harmony was smiling at the goat. Harmony wished she could remember this.

Harmony noticed that Horatio was wearing what was clearly a very expensive suit but he didn't seem to mind kneeling in the dirt next to her. His eyes were filled with love

Horatio then said, "One of the employees took this picture of us. She was an older lady; I think we reminded her of her own family." Harmony leaned against Horatio, wondering what it would have been like to have him in her life. All of her life, not just when she was a young child and certainly not just now, when she had to seek him out.


End file.
